From outdoor inspiration to retro nostalgia, Native Made offers the most unique Chattanooga designs. These designs cover clothing and accessories that you can proudly wear. I had the pleasure of talking with the creator of Native Made to provide a more behind the scenes look at this brand.
The Story Behind Native Made
Native Made was started in 2016. Adam, the founder, felt like Chattanooga was lacking representation in graphic designed products. This is what urged the start of this local business. The Native Made style focuses on retro Chattanooga icons and the outdoor culture of this city. Adam’s desire is that no matter if you’ve lived here your whole life or just moved here, you can be proud to call Chattanooga home and represent your love for this city with Native Made products. Not only are the designs made by Adam himself, but he also focuses on offering high quality products and great customer service. Which, if you ask me, are two of the most important parts of a business.
The Products
I love all three of the items I have bought from Native Made. My Raccoon Mountain Crewneck and Tenn Badge Camping Mug I’ve had for almost a year now and still love them as much as the day I first got them. Recently I also purchased a Tenn Badge Crewneck. I love the crewnecks most of all because they are the best quality pieces of clothing I own. The material is a cotton poly blend and even though they’re thick, they still feel light and breathable. They offer the perfect balance of warmth and coolness. Not to mention, they’re the softest thing ever! Click HERE to read the story about why the Raccoon Mountain design is my favorite.
The camping mug I’ve only used a few times. However, I finally got to enjoy it camping back in November and loved it. It was a cold November morning and the well-insulated mug did the job well. My hot tea remained hot (maybe a little too hot) all morning. My initial reaction using it camping can be seen in my latest video which will be linked at the bottom of this post.
Native Made Today and Tomorrow
Currently, the printing is outsourced to other companies to keep Native Made cost effective. Because of this, 100-300 pieces are ordered at a time. But the business is growing and plans are to keep the business as local as possible. About 20% of the graphics are collaborations done by other Chattanooga artists. But other than that, Adam runs the entire business by himself. He intends to hire help to assist with some of the behind the scenes aspects of the business soon. No matter where the Native Made brand goes, its roots will always be planted in Chattanooga. Chattanooga was the inspiration that started this brand and will continue to be the heart and soul behind it. One day, Adam hopes Native Made will grow into a physical location of its own, and possibly expand to other cities. Even now, Nashville offers Native Made products in a couple stores and you’ll notice there’s a Nashville design available online.
Check out the Native Made website by clicking HERE to get products shipped to you. And if you’re local to Chattanooga, some Native Made products are sold in local stores such as Four Bridges, Locals Only, and Wildflowers on Signal Mountain. Be sure to check back every season as Native Made plans to release a new design once a quarter. I can’t wait to see how the new designs turn out. And I plan to add a t-shirt to my collection soon as well. For my video review of these products, click HERE. Until next week, I’ll see you out Exploring Chatt!
